Poverty
Poverty, having less than you need to meet your basic personal or family needs, breeds hunger and homelessness, poor health and poorer prospects for a bright tomorrow. Learn more and help enrich the lives of others.
Introduction
Poverty is a condition in which people lack the resources to obtain basic necessities in order to live and thrive in society. One of the main reasons poverty is allowed to continue in the world is because underprivileged people are often ignored by or hidden from those with resources and power. By opening our eyes to the statistics and the stories, new opportunities for solidarity, support and advocacy become clear.
Every year the United States develops rates below or at which a person or family is considered “in poverty.” The US Census Bureau reports that the poverty rate and number of people in poverty in the United States have decreased from 12.6% in 2005 to 12.3% in 2006. The only racial group that experienced a decrease in poverty is Hispanics, down to 20.6% from 21.8%. The only age group to statistically experience a lessening of poverty rate was persons aged 65 and older, from 10.1% to 9.4%.
The census bureau now shows that a single parent with one child is in poverty if the family does not have an income over $13,896 (before taxes). Given the average cost of living and resources needed to care for 2 children, a family of 4 with two adults would be in poverty today even if the family made $20,000 a year (pre-tax). Present services often do little to help improve the situation. For example, the average food stamp allotment for Americans is three dollars a day to spend on food. Poverty, near poverty and extreme poverty are a serious problem in the United States.
Exploring Poverty on the Local Scene
Locally, according to an American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, Connecticut had the third lowest poverty rate in the country in 2006 at 8.3%. However, hidden within this low rate is a colossal 30.6% poverty rate in the city of Hartford, making it the second poorest city in the United States with a population of more than 100,000 people according to the last national census.
From Local to Global
Though poverty is a massive problem here in the United States, other countries face even worse situations of poverty. According to statistics reported by the World Bank in an overview of global poverty, 1.1 billion people live on less than one dollar a day, while 2.7 billion people (nearly half of the world’s population) live on less than two dollars a day.
There are numerous other statistics that paint a grim picture of global poverty. For example, over 100 million school-age children around the world cannot go to school. Over 400 million people have malaria and 40 million are infected with HIV/AIDS. Millions do not have access to adequate medical care, food, and shelter, and safe drinking water is unavailable to an estimated 1.1 billion people worldwide.
Responding
As seen in the statistical information, poverty rates not only describe numbers of poor people, but numbers of people who are not poor. Thus, part of the ongoing problem of poverty is a lack of awareness and the segregation of the haves and have-nots. Experiences together bridge this divide. Increased contact and solidarity with those in need transform poverty by putting names, faces and relationships in place of numbers and labels.
Poverty quickly becomes entangled with myriad other social issues – hunger and homelessness, literacy and education, employment and healthcare…and the list could go on and on. Learn more. Make the connections. Volunteer to help those immediately affected. And work for change.
Hands on Hartford offers many ways to get involved with issues of poverty. Check the project calendar to find a service opportunity that fits your schedule and interest.
Resources
The above information was taken from the following sources. Click on the links to learn more: World Bank, globalhealthfacts.org, U.S. Census Bureau, International Food Policy Research Institute.
